Obama: U.S. racial history on his side

If Democratic superdelegates, against the background of America’s troubled racial history, deny Barack Obama the nomination despite his lead in pledged delegates, the consequences could be catastrophic – both for the party and the country, argues Gabor Steingart of Der Spiegel, a German newsmagazine. And that helps Obama’s political cause.

A vote by superdelegates against Obama would set off shock waves within American society….An apparent rejection of her black rival would also do more to harm Hillary Clinton than help her campaign. A candidacy against the background of angry youth or even burning barricades would be of little value. Thus, it is not Obama himself who now offers the strongest argument for his nomination, but the history of his ancestors.